Electric cut-out



(No Model.)

A. L. CLOUGH. ELECTRIC GUT-OUT.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFrIcE ALBERT L. CLOUGII, 0F MANCHESTER, NEWV HAMPSHIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Nraeaeie, dated February 2; ieee.-`

Application filed August 24, 1891. No. 403,604. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, ALBERT LUCIEN CLOUGH, a citizenv of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Manchester, in

5 the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and'useful Improvement in Electric-Circuit Openers or Breakers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates 'to the opening or breaking of electric circuits-at a gi ven or de termined lapse of time from and after their closing.

The invention, in substance, consists of an electro-magnet and metal contact-pieces adapted to be placed in and out of `contact, and all in suitable electric connection for a. closure of an electric-circuit'through said I magnet when said contact-pieces are in Acontact, and for the opening orbreakingof said circuit .when said contact-pieces are out o f contact, and of an armature adapted with the closure of the circuit to move toward and with the opening of the circuit to be free to move from the magnet, in combination with a track bar or rail intermediately held on and to move with said armature and thereby-tilted and so inclined lengthwise in one direction with the closure of the electric circuit andin the opposite direction with the opening of the electric circuit, a roll or other device adapted to move or travel along the length ot and in whatever direction the track maybe inclined,

. means adapted to hold said contact-pieces in contact, and means to receive said roll or traveler and to secure by the action of it thereon a breaking of the contactof said contactpieces and thereby` breaking or opening the electric`circuit on which the armature moves off from the magnet, tilting and placing saidtrack lin an oppositely-inclined direction for the then movement' or retnrn of the traveler the/reen, so that when the electric circuit is before, andso on. V

closed and thereby thetrack tilted and placed again in --its inclined direction, as before, said traveler'againmoves over the'track to againbreak or openthe eloctric circuit, as-

' In the drawingaforming part of this specification, an electric circu it opener or breaker ofthis invention is illustrated.A v

Figure 1 `is a side elevation` Fig. 2 is a known o r other suitable formav of construction. This magnet' atene endisheld Qn and, I projected. horizontally fromaverticalgbracket B2, which is fastened to the ba'SeAgandthe 'of contact. Y E is a, wiro connected to contact 0,-al1jE- l is a wire connected 'to contact Giand'leading .said electric circuit. is opened or broken.

plan view. Fig. 3 'is atransveijse verticalsef tion, line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. .4 jaaa-transverse vertical section', line 4 4, Fig. 152 if: LfV

In thedrawings, A is. a baseoijboard for convenience in supportingfthevarigusparts, workingandstationaryf thecironit opener or breakerof this invention.

'B is anzelectro-magnet of anyot-the wellmagnet` at its other end is unoovepedgall 'as 65V contact-pieceslocated on the base beyond the poles of the magnet-and in the sarnef vertical plane, and both at one end, suitably 'secured to the base, and etz-their ptherand freeends 'lapping over 'each otheiyandfotherwise,v so

that they can b e pressedl'into andon release of said pressure can automaticallyfxnove out therefrom and connected to one'p'ole of. the electro-magnegthe other vpolefhaving a wire F leading off therefrom, and said-wirelfgaind 8 'wire Oxare to be in electricconnectxonfwith an external circuit, (not showin) all'aswell known and so that with said\.contatpieces -Y C C2 pressed into contact an 'electric circa-t is closedthroiighthe electro-magnet, 85 with said contact-pieces C Cz'out of. con xt G is an armature suspended-Vertillyand atits opposite vertical edgeson-s. xew-pinsG2 s G2 between the'parallel uprights of a frame 9c. G3, suitably held on..-the baSeA and 'all so that the armature-is free to swingtoward and away from the magnet, all-as wellfknown and accordingas the' electric circuit of the mag.

`net closed or opened. 95

. Gf is an upward extension of theargnature, and H isa trackrail or bar held intermedi- 'ately of v itslengtlh, preferablyatits middle, on the-upper endofdcxtension and. extendingin opposite-i-drectios -from saidA armar 10Q tureeleugthyviseeof the A; The` track H, asshowmhas an open groove H, extending -fom end'to en d,'but closed atits opposite vends;A

` piecesand so held the magnet, and so Lis a wheel having onvits opposite sides projected axles L2, and as a whole adapted so that placed on one track its axles L2 can roll along the upper edges of each side of and its wheel can project and eriterv into the groove of the track.

M M are two guard-wires that extend lengthwise and are fastened at each end to the track, one on one side and the other on the other side and both above the axles of the wheel, and all so asto prevent the wheel from leaving the track in its travel therealog, as hereinafter particularly explained.

'Ihe track arranged asl described, as is obvious, is tilted o r ,oscillated by the swing of the armature in opposite directions, and it and the armature and magnet are severally adapted so that with a closure of the circuit of the magnet the armature 'moves toward the magnet and so the track is tilted and i nclined lengthwise toward the.m tal-contact by the magnet sc long as the circuit is closed, and with au opening or breaking of the electric circuit of yt-he magnet the armature is left free to move'away from' being moved to tilt the track and inclineit lengthwise from the metal contacts, said movement ot' the track and armature beingsecured by--means ofthe then lreaction of a spiral spring N, which` at its opposite ends is connected to the end-portion of the trackv the farther removed from themetal contact-pieces and to the .base A.

of its directions.

-on the upper end P P2-are vertical headed screw-pins, one at each end portion of and directly under the track and bothjscrewed into the base, and

thus 'adapted 1 to be vertically adjustable. These pins-serve as stops to4 the inclination of thejtrack, the one P to it in one of its directions and the other Pi to. it in the other Q is a horizontal balanced lever fulcrumed portion and on one side of a post Q3, secured to the base A and having adepending deteut R in position-when the lever is in its normal position to be in contact.

y with the upper face of the upper contact-piece taetwith the upper side of C2, andthen to hold said contact-piece in conthe lower-contactpiece'C, in which position of said contactpieces the circuit of the magnet is closed, `as .before stated.A

The lever Q at one endl portion projects beyoud the end portion of the track toward the contact-pieces and 'at such projecting portion has parallel tines Q2, suitably separated to allowsaid end portion of the track when inclined toward the contact-pieces -to enter between them sufficiently to have the upper edges of saidstines'along their length abovethe' upper edgeof the track along which .-th'eaxles of i the `traveler or wheel f upper edges have an inclination '-y in a direction oppositeto the inclination ot the'.

rolls, as stated, and said track'when itis Ventered between said tines.

. By depressing the tined end lportion ofthe balancedV lever the deteut is swungin a direc- X isa pin on'the towardand i ciently therefor-as, forinstance,by the downward pressure thereon of the crank portion V2of a horizontal shaft Y', turning in suitable bearings ofthe base and having a crank-handie V3 for conveuiencein operating it.

As the circuit-breaker described is shown, Fig. l, the circuit is closed, and owing thereto the track is inclined toward the contact-pieces C C2 and the traveler'L L2 has moved from the then upward end toward the then lower end of the track and has entered at and onto the lower-'fend portion of the inclined forked arm Q2 of the balanced 'lever Q, so thatvon the traveler tl; en continuing its movement .over said forked arm the balanced lever' at its inclined end portion is depressed, therebyswinging deteut .R of said-lever off from theupper contact-piece C2, leaving it vfree to spring 'u pward and out of contactwwith the lower contact-piece C and so opening the circuit, when by the action of the spiral spring N thetrack M is tilted in the opposite direction (dottedlines, Fig. 1) and the the circuit is again closed and the track inclined, as before, to again travel over the track and onto the balanced lever, and thereby open the circuit, and so on as before.

The opening of the circuit by the swing of.

the deteut is caused by the gravity of the traveler in action on the balanced lever and the opening oi the circuit is maintained until the upperv con tact-piece C2, by means of the crank-arm'V?, is pressed into contact with the lower contact-'piece C,on which the' deteut R,

vbecause efthelthen swing of thebalanced lever, moves into position over the upper contact-piece, and so holds the circuit closed until it is again opened, as before.

Until the upper contact-piece is returned to contact with the lower contact-piece, as stated, the' de tentis stopped, against returning to its normal position, because of its then abutment against the edge C"x at the free. end of the upper contact-piece C2; but this obtraveler returned to the then'. lower end of the track and into position, when IOO IIO

struction is relieved by depressing the upper contact-piece, as stated.

post Q3 for a stop to the return movement aboveexplained of the detent R.

From-all the prccedingdescription itis plain that the. closure in'each instance of the circuit through -the electro-magnet depends wholly upon the time required for the traveler to travelfroln one end to the other of the track, and again it is plainthat the circuit, when opened so remains until it is intentionally closed by means of the crank-arm V2, as before explained. It thus appears that the closure of the circuit of the electro-magnet can be made by the circuit-breaker to cover a determined period from the time it was first closed tothe time it is automatically broken, as before stated. y

An electric circuit of a magnet and a circuit-breaker, all as explained and as before stated in connection with an external circuit,

enables the external circuit and the circuitV of the electro-magnet to be closed, as desired,

for separate determinate periods of time, but in no case for a greater period than the determined period of time required for the movementof the travelerand the breakingorgpening of the circuit of the electromagnet, as has been stated.

This invention, as to the track, traveler, and detnt to hold the metal contact-pieces in' and to release them from contact, broadly considered, is notto'be limited, for, plainly, these may be varied in many respects With out departing'from the invention described.

The contrivauces of Vthis invention have, among others, these advantages: first, that a small amount of electric energy is required and it is very sensitive; second, that the ti me to elapse for the closure and before opening ofthe circuit may be readily adjusted and regulated, as desired; third, that they are simple and economical to manufacture and certain in operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-v l. The combination, with an electro-magnet, 3 5 an armaturecf said magnet,and movable conl tact-pieces severally in suitable electric connection, of a track held on and movable with said armature, a traveler to traverse said track, a movable detent to hold said wntact-piecesA in and to allow them to move out of contact, and a carrier for said detent,substantially as' and for the purposes described.

2. VThe combination, with an electromagnet, an armature of said magnet, andmovable contact-pieces severally 'in suitable electric connection, ot a track M, held on and movable ivith said armature, a wheel or roll traveler L L2, a movable' detent 4R to hold said contact-pieces inand to allow them to move out 5o of contact, and a carrier for said detent, cousisting of a balanced lever Q,fulcrumed on aA suitable support and having one end vof forked shape to receive between its tin'es an end of, and the upper edge of said end -inclining toward, the track, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT L. CLOUGH.

Witnesses:

L. B. CLOUGH, ARTHUR H. HALE. 

